Apparatus for actuating conduit-covers and collector-plows for electric railways.



D. SAMAIA.

APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING CONDUIT COVERS AND COLLECTOR PLOWS FOR ELECTRICRAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18. I913.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

==mEHEEEEED:EEEEEEEEEE Ag l TTfi s rain rann DINO SAMAIA, OF MILAN,ITALY.

APPARATUS FOR ACTUA'IING CONDITIT-COVERS AND COLLECTOR-FLOWS FORELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. '7, 1915.

' Application filed April 1s, 1.912. SerialNo. 762,018.

This invention has for its object means enabling the driver of a tram toactuate the covers of the conduit holes and to insert and remove theplow of the tram from the platform of his vehicle the device being'ofthe type described in my pending application filed September 30th 1911Serial No. 652,204.

Thepresent device is characterized by the employment of a singlecylinder, and accordingly is adapted to be controlled by compressed airas well as by electricity, water under pressure or any other suitableagent. By means of this device it is possi ble by a single operation ofa cook or interrupter to open and close axial conduit covers, to lowerand raise the plow, to en gage and disengage the switch and finally tolock and unlock the shoe of the plow.

An embodiment of the new device is represented in the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a general view of the device and Fig. 2 shows the control ofthe switch. Operation of the scissors: The piston rod 2 of the cylinder1 carries at its extremity a pin 3 engaging in the slot4 of a'crank arm5 pivoted at 6; this crank arm also presents a slot 7 in which the pin 8carried by the scissors 9 engages. When the rod- 2 of the cylinder 1advances, the pin 3 fixed at its extremity will move in a horizontalpath. As, however, this pin is engaged in the slot 1 in the crank arm 5it willcause the latter to rotate about its pivot 6 until the right handportion of the said slot 4 is horizontal. At this moment the slot 7which is at the extremityof the other arm of the arm 5 will havedisplaced the pin 8 of the scissors 9 to 8 thus opening the scissors andconsequently the leaves of the conduit cover. The pin 3 of the rod 2will follow its movement as far as the end of the stroke of the pistonof the cylinder 1, and will return along the straight portion of theslot A of the crank the position 13.

By means of the slot 7 the pin 8 will also be returned to its initialposition thereby closing the scissors and the covers of the conduit; 7

Operation ofv the plow: At the extremity 13 of the bell crank lever 10'which is pivoted at 11 the chain 14 is fixed; this chain is wound aroundthe drum 15 integral with the shaft 16. Upon. this shaft pulleys 17 aremounted and chains 18 which pass over guide pulleys 19 to the plow arewound about these pulleys. The pin 3 of the rod 2 during its forwardmovement in the straight portion of the slot 4, that is to say when thelatter is horizontal, will come into contact with the extremity 12 ofthe lever 10. The latter pivotingon the shaft 11 when the rod 2 of thecylinder 1 has reached. the end of its travel its extremity 12 willoccupy the position 12 and its extremity 13 When the extremity 13 of thebell crank lever is at'18 the chain 14 in unrolling will have caused thedrum 15 and consequently the shaft 16 to have effected a completerevolution. The pulleys 17 displaced by this shaft will also efiect arevolution and their peripheries (upon a point on which the chain 18 isfixed) being equal to the travel of the plow the latter will ascend whenthe pulleys 1i rotate in one direction and descend when they rotate inthe opposite direction displaced by the weight of the plow itself andreleased from the pawl by the combined action of the automatic engagingand disengaging device hereinafter described. I

This device is constructed in such a manner as to permit of utilizingthe same period of a regular movement (continuous or intermittent) atone time for disengaging and the next time for not disengaging anordinary ratchet wheel. With this object a wheel 20 is mounted ontheshaft 21 being constituted by two disks assembled by four pins 22; oneof these disks carries at its exterior two sectors 23 arrangedsymmetrically on a diameter. A pawl 24 subjected to the action of aspring 26 is pivoted at 25; one of the extremities of this pawl engagesin the teeth of a ratchet 28 mounted on the shaft 16. Finally a lever 29is pivoted at 11 and is connected at 30 with the rod 2 of the cylinder 1and at 31 with a plate 32 inclined between the two disks of the wheel 20and upon which two teeth 33 and 34 are cut; one side of these teeth isalways in contact with two of the four pins 22. I

When owing to the advance of the rod of the piston 2 the extremity 30 ofthe lever 29 is displaced to 30 the extremity 31 of the saidangle piecewill consequently be displaced to 31 and under the influence of theteeth 33 and 34 upon the two rods 22 the plate '32 will have caused thewheel 20 to efiect a quarter of a revolution. By the re-' turn movementof the rod 2 the lever 2.9 is caused to occupy its initial position andcauses the plate 32 to ascend in such a man'- ner as to prepare therotation of another quarter turn for the wheel 20. The result of therotation of this wheel is that at the first quarter .of revolution oneof the sectors 23 coming into contact with the extremity 27 of the pa'wl24 causes it to leave the teeth of the ratchet 28 thereby disengagingthis ratchet. As soon as the sector 23 comes out of contact with theextremity 27 of the pawl, the latter, under the influence of'the spring26, will rub upon the teeth of the ratchet 28 thus automaticallyengaging this ratchet. Upon the second quarter turn of the wheel 20 thepawl will not move as its extremity 27 is not acted upon by any part.Upon the third quarter turn of the wheel the action described for thefirst quarter turn is repeated and upon the fourth quarter turn thatdescribed for the second is repeated. The duration of the period ofengagement or disengagement depends upon the diameter of the wheel 20and upon the length of the sectors 23 at the periphery.

Automatic operation of the electric switch: A toothed wheel is mountedon the shaft 16 and meshes with a pinion 35 carried by the shaft 36. Aset of bevel pinions 37 serves to transmit the movement of the shaft 36to another shaft 38 ending in a nut 39 (Fig. 2). This nut acts upon ascrew 40 connected with the slot 41 of the lever 42 integral with theshaft 43 of the switch 44. The rotation of the shaft 16 produces therotation of the shaft 36 and consequently of the shaft 38. When thisshaft rotates in one direction the screw 40 will shift the lever 42 to42 thus reversing the switch. When the shaft 38 rotates in the oppositedirection the screw 40 will be acted upon by the nut 39 and will returnthe lever 42 to its initial position, thus reversing the switch 44again.

Automatic locking of the shoe of the plow: When the point 49 of thescissors 9 during their descent comes into contact with the member 50,the latter will slide on its guide 51 until the point 49 of the scissorsreaches the position 49. The member 50 will then be at 50 and beingconnected by the piece 52 with one of the rods of the bolt of the shoe,will displace it by the necessary amount for freeing the shoe. When thescissors '9 re-ascend the member 50 will be restored to its initialposition under the in fiuence of the bolt itself, whichis movedretractively by means of springs.

When it is required to disengage the shaft '16 manually itwill sufficeto impart an eighth of a revolution to the shaft 46 by means of thesmall handle of the controller, this handle'being fitted at 47. Thiseighth of a revolution is sufficient to displace the lever 45. The shaft16 being thus disengaged it will be understood that in rotating theshaft 36 in one direction or the other by means of the large handle ofthe controller fitted at 48, the shaft 16 and consequently the pulleys17 will be caused to turn in one direction or the other.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic apparatus of the kind referred to herein comprisingmeans to open and close axial conduit covers, means to lower and raisethe current collecting plow, means to engage and disengage the electricswitch, means to lock and unlock the shoe of the plow, and means for themanual operation of the plow.

2. An automatic apparatus of the kind re ferred to herein comprisingmeansto open and close axial conduit covers, means to lower and raisethe current collecting plow, means to engage and disengage the electricswitch, means to lock and unlock the shoe of the plow, and means for themanual operation of the plow, said cover opening and closing meanscomprising a scissors apparatus.

3. An automatic apparatus of the kind referred to herein comprisingmeans to open and close axial conduit covers, means .to lower and raisethe current collecting plow, means to engage and disengage the electricswitch, means to lockand unlock the shoe of the plow, means for themanual operation of the plow, a'motor mechanism provided with a pistonrod and operatively associated with the first three of said means, and aslotted member mounted on said piston rod in such a manner that in thefirst half of its travel the member actuatesone of said means, and inthe second half another of said means while maintaining the firstactuated means in its actuated position. I

4. An automatic apparatus of the kind referred to herein comprisingmeans to open by it is released during every other cycle of theapparatus.

Intestimony whereof I have aifixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

DINO

SAMAIA and close axial conduit covers, means to lower and raise thecurrent collecting plow, means to engage and disengage the electricswitch, meansto lock and unlock the shoe of the plow, means for themanual operation of the plow, said plow lifting means comprising ashaft, a ratchet on said shaft, and means associated with said ratchetwhere- Witnesses:

J. P. MILJIPART, CHAs. Ro NAsm'r'rE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

